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Readers: February 27th: Apologies for the scattered posting that's about to come during the next week or so. University has just started and I have a lot of work to do to get on top of things (and ahead!). Thanks for your patience, as always.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Valentine's Blog Event: Author Interview - Marissa Meyer

It's here! The author interview with Marissa Meyer which I adore. Why? Well, she is talking about one of my favourite books... If you haven't read Cinder yet, methinks I'll send some cyborgs after you....or infect you with an incurable disease.... *coughs* Yeah. You don't want that. So you better get to it, right? *smiles sweetly*

Are you ready to be wooed by Prince Kai? To shlap Cinder for not noticing the poor boy's interest in her? *SWOONS* These two are nine kinds of adorable. But right now I'm wielding my ninja weapon, ready to take off Queen Levana's head for being such a pest. Care to join me?

What physical feature and personality trait do you find most attractive in a guy?Physical
feature: height, personality trait: sense of humor. (Is that cliché or
what?) Lucky for me, my husband is 6’4” and hilarious.Who is your favourite YA couple? Why?Yikes, are there readers who can actually narrow this down to just one couple?? What an impossible question—how about three favorites instead:Fire and Brigan (Fire by
Kristin Cashore) – They have a very classic Pride & Prejudice type
romance, but it’s never fake or forced. They’re two strong, determined
characters with good hearts, and I love how you can physically feel their love and compassion grow for each other over the course of the book.Lola and Cricket (Lola and the Boy Next Door
by Stephanie Perkins) – Although Lola’s naivete does get on my nerves
at times, for the most part I adore this couple beyond words. They’re
each so spunky and unique, and Cricket’s adoration of Lola is just about
the sweetest thing on paper.Puck and Sean (The Scorpio Races
by Maggie Stiefvater) – This couple may not have that crazy passionate,
struck-by-lightning love that a lot of YA romances have, but I think I
might appreciate them the more for it. They’re both practical and smart
and their relationship blooms out of mutual respect and a common
interest. They’re the kind of solid couple that I feel could weather any
storm.What do you think is so special about Kai and Cinder's relationship?What I
love most about Cinder and Kai’s relationship is that it develops out
of admiration. Kai is first intrigued by Cinder because of her skills as
a mechanic—as Kai himself wouldn’t know the difference between a
flathead or a Phillips screwdriver (okay, he could probably
figure it out), he’s really impressed with Cinder’s ability to fix and
understand this foreign world of mechanics. On the other hand, Cinder,
who is one of few girls who’s never been swept away by Kai’s
celebrity-prince status, finds herself falling for him when she sees how
caring he is and how concerned he is with protecting his country. That
isn’t to say, of course, that’s she’s completely immune to his charming
princely smiles.Their
relationship is also founded early on by a lot of trust—Kai entrusts
Cinder with some really big secrets, and perhaps their biggest weakness
is that Cinder can’t bring herself to return that favor.How would you describe their romance in one word?Respectful.The
original Cinderella isn’t as fierce as your Cinder. How did you change
the character without losing the essence of the original?I
never tried to make Cinder the futuristic counterpart to the original
Cinderella—to me, they’re completely different heroines. While their
stories are similar in that they’re both seen as second-class citizens
who happen to fall in love with a prince, their personalities, skills,
and desires are much different. Cinder is never content to be working
for her stepmother or being a potential victim of the cyborg draft.
She’s always thinking about escape and freedom, and she doesn’t take the
world’s prejudice lying down.The series is based on four popular fairytales. Why these particular ones?When
I was brainstorming which fairy tales to use, I started with a list of
maybe 9 or 10 of my favorite tales. The more I thought and plotted and
imagined the story, these four just rose to the surface. Their
characters and storylines started to overlap—Snow White’s queen started
terrorizing Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel’s prince befriended
Cinderella, etc. These four stories naturally merged together in a
really exciting way.Can
you tell us how the sequels will be set up? Will Cinder return in the
next three books or are the three adventures completely unrelated to
each other?Oh
yes, Cinder will continue to be the hero of the entire series. Each
book will be told part from her point of view and part from the book’s
title heroine (Scarlet, Cress, or Winter), and as the story goes on
their paths will intertwine and together they’ll join forces against
their mutual enemy: Queen Levana.If you could be in any fairytale, which would it be and why?I
woke up with a sweet tooth today, so I’m leaning toward Hansel and
Gretel, but only if I could munch on the witch’s house without being
made into dinner myself!Why will readers swoon over Kai?He’s
fiercely loyal and determined to find solutions to the most impossible
problems. He’s charismatic. He’s witty. He wears a sexy hoodie when he
goes incognito. And, um, he’s a prince!What or who does Kai look like in your mind? (Psst....any chance can we get a picture?)Yes,
let me show you pictures! The first is the original inspiration photo I
used, and the second is a fanart picture drawn by my friend, Leilani
Adams. And then there’s the book trailer which I love—the actor they
chose for Kai is so swoon-worthy! (P.S. You can stalk, er, I mean follow
him on Twitter even: @realmichaellevy.)

Thanks so much for a great interview! I’m wishing everyone a very warm and loving Valentine’s Day. <3